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North East Secretariat on Human Rights -
ESOHR 
 
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nesohrsrilanka@gmail.com,www.nesohr.org 
Lest We ForgetLest We ForgetLest We ForgetLest We Forget ---- Volume II Volume II Volume II Volume II
Introduction
This is an early version of Volume II of NESoHR publication, ‘Lest We Forget’. Volume I, published in 2007, covered the large scale massacres of Tamil civilians by the Sri Lankamilitary from 1970’s to 2001. This volume covers the period from 2002 until publication inAugust 2008. Neither the coverage in Volume I nor the coverage in this volume is complete. In both volumes, the incidents where NESoHR was able to collect at least some information arecovered.Together with this volume, NESoHR is also publishing an EXCEL file, “Victims of Violence- post CFA”. This EXCEL file lists the names of victims killed and disappeared during thecoverage period. The names of victims of the massacres described in this volume can also befound in the EXCEL file.The EXCEL file also lists, the 15 cases selected for the special Presidential Commission of Inquiry of 2007. This inquiry was to be observed by the eleven member IIGEP (IndependentInternational Group of Eminent Persons) headed by an Indian Justice P N Bhagwati. Some of these 15 cases are also described in this volume. The ill fate of this Presidential Commission of Inquiry and the IIGEP leaving their role in frustration are now history and it stands as proof tothe longstanding culture of impunity in this island.During the first few years of the coverage period, that is prior to August 2006, the names of victims could be obtained by contacting the families of the victims either directly or through phone. After August 2006, that is after the heightened level of violence, people living in GoSLcontrolled areas became too fearful of even contacting NESoHR staff working from LTTEcontrolled Vanni area. Therefore most of the name lists of victims after this time was obtainedthrough various other channels. Some dared to contact NESoHR by mail. Some were obtainedthrough other human rights groups working in the GoSL controlled areas. Further names wereobtained from Assistant Government Agent Divisions who ususally collate such data withintheir divisions. In some cases media is the only source of data.A collation of civilian casualties, killed and disappeared, goes some way towards exposing theviolence and the immense cost paid by the civilians in the conflict. However, this is only partof the picture. The sum total of the loss of property, loss of livelihood, loss of education, loss of child nutrition and loss of physical and mental health amounts to a far greater loss which areharder to codify and present and not as easily disgested as the numbers of killed anddisappeared. NESoHR hopes this collation of data of a specific kind will assist in the more accurateunderstanding of the civilian casualties of this conflict.
 
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1. Pesalai housing scheme massacre – 
23 December 2005
 -
 NESOHR report of January 2006
 
On Friday December 23
rd
, a Sri Lankan Navy vehicle washit by a claymore mine in the “Hundred House Scheme”area in Pesalai.
 
As has been the long practice of the SriLankan Armed forces the Navy began their retaliationagainst the civilians living in the housing scheme.The first step of this retaliation was to indiscriminatelyspray bullets into the housing scheme. Panicky occupants began fleeing in all directions. The teenage children of one old couple, the Cruz couple, were not at home. Theyhad gone to a friend’s house to watch television. As aresult the parents worried about their children did not fleelike the rest of the residents of the housing scheme.Another family of four, the Fernando family was fleeinglike the rest. However, the mother, being an asthmatic patient could not continue running with their three year old boy in her hand. She saw the Cruz couple standing atthe door of their home and told her husband to keep running with their five year old childand she ran into the Cruz home with her younger child. Fernando and the five year old ranon and stopped about five houses further down and stayed there. Navy men arrived at the Cruz house and burnt the four people alive and removed their  bodies. A burnt arm of the three year and some items from his mother’s handbag were later found among the ashes.
2. Trincomalee students massacre –
2 January 2006
 
The Gandhi statue at the junction in the Dockyard Roadnear the sea in Trincomalee is a popular spot for young mento gather in the evening for socializing. On 2 January 2006,many young men were gathered there. Some men whoarrived in a three-wheeler threw a grenade at the gatheringof the young men and then went towards the Fort.One St Joseph school student, Yoharasa Poonkulalon, was injured in this grenade attack.As the other students were getting ready to take the injured student to the hospital, the SriLankan Navy that arrived at the spot began shooting at the students for 10 minutes.The people at the seashore began fleeing in all direction. In the meantime, Sri Lankan Navy came towards the students, ordered them to lie on the ground and attacked themindiscriminately. Five students died in this attack. Another five students were seriouslyinjured.This massacre was one of the few of massacres selected by the Sri Lankan Government for special inquiry under the supervision of an international monitoring group of eminent person headed by an Indian judge. The eminent person left the island in disgust in 2008after losing confident in the manner in which the investigations were conducted.
 
3Sukirtharajan, a journalist with the Tamil daily Sudaroli wrote a full length investigativearticle about the killing of the five students identifying the Sri Lankan Army as the culprit.He was shot dead on 6 January 2006.
3. Manipay family massacre –
24 January 2006
-
 
 NESOHR report of Sept 2006
 
A white van group arrived at the door of the home of NahendramBojan in Manipay in Jaffna on 24 January 2006 just after midnight. The men knocked on the door and demanded that theyare from the Sri Lanka Army and they needed to check the home.When the door was opened by the second daughter of Bojan, the white van group startedshooting.Three people, the mother and two daughters were killed on the spot. The father and sonwere injured and admitted to hospital later. The husband of the first daughter,Thiageswaran escaped without injuries because he managed to hide in the dark and wasalive to tell the story of the massacre.The entire family of Nahendram Bojan was a very accomplished family. He was the ScoutCommissioner for the KKS area in Jaffna for a long period and he was also the NorthernCommisioners for the St John’s Ambulance. One of his daughters was an actress and wasreading for her degree. His other daughter a graduate was an English teacher. His son wasalso a mathematics teacher.
4. TRO employees disappearance –
29 January 2006
-
 NESOHR report April 2006
 
On 29 January and 30 January 2006,ten Tamils RehabilitationOrganisation (TRO) employeeswere abducted in two separateincidents in the Welikande area inthe Polonaruwa district while theywere travelling from the TRO office in Batticaloa to the TRO office in Kilinochchi.Two women were released in a few days. Another woman S Dosini was also released bythe abductors. Seven TRO employees are still missing.
 Amnesty International 
issued an Urgent Action appeal on 10 March 2006 for their release.This massacre was one of the few of massacres selected by the Sri Lankan Government for special inquiry under the supervision of an international monitoring group of eminent person headed by an Indian judge. The eminent person left the island in disgust in 2008after losing confident in the manner in which the investigations were conducted.
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